I’ve reached a point in my financial life where I tend to analyze everything to death. It’s not just because of the money, either, although that’s a big part of it. My small house only has so much space, so I’m constantly thinking, “Do I really need/want this?” Not only that, I have several longer-term [...]
When I was in college and, later, working my first jobs, I never had a regular schedule. The jobs I had back then were either temporary or service oriented. Sometimes I’d work nights, sometimes days, and sometimes both. I worked holidays, weekends, and other times when no one else could or would work. It wasn’t [...]
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably heard about the latest social media sensation called Pinterest. It’s a big virtual bulletin board where users can post pictures of just about anything and group them into collections like, “Things I love,” “Books to Read,” and “Things I’m passionate about.” While I’m not on Pinterest [...]
A friend of mine recently went to the doctor for her annual physical. Her blood pressure was on the high side, so the doctor trotted out the prescription pad and wrote her a prescription for a blood pressure lowering drug. He didn’t offer any other suggestions or advice, just the scrip and a push out [...]
I and other financial writers often tell people to ask for discounts, particularly on large ticket items, because you just never know when a retailer might be willing to cut you a break. Many people are reluctant to try it, however. Some are afraid of being embarrassed and some think it just won’t work. The [...]
Years ago when I was first thinking about self-employment, one thing scared me above all others. Taxes. It sounds silly, but I was terrified of screwing it all up and ending up in jail. Estimated taxes, quarterly payments, and self-employment deductions freaked me out so badly that it almost seemed better to stay employed with [...]
Most financial writers, including me, counsel people to be their own advocate for less-expensive healthcare. We teach that you should question everything on your bill, know the limits and allowances of your health insurance policy, and negotiate prices where possible and look for lower cost options. All of this is great and can certainly save [...]
While I’m all for being frugal, there are some things that you just don’t want to skimp on. Some things are so important to your health or safety that it simply isn’t wise or cost-effective to look for the cheapest options, or to skip the item altogether in the name of “saving money.” While everyone [...]
Last week, on a nice spring day, I was sitting outside on my porch reading one of my many library books. My neighbor came over to see how I was doing and wanted to know what I was reading. I flipped it over to show her the title and she could clearly see the library [...]
A conversation recently came up amongst several people in my book group. One of the members has been looking for a job for about six months with little success. A couple of weeks ago, she was offered a job at a company that she was excited about. During the negotiations, she mentioned that, since she’d [...]
